ICYMI, the Portland Police Bureau, splitting hairs as it loves to do when deciding whether it should discipline its officers, says a cop who went out of his way to taunt an activist didn't do anything wrong because he didn't grab the man's camera. Not that the police bureau would have any way to know that from video footage of the event, which shows Officer Scott Groshong grabbing the camera. Anyway, a citizen panel charged with looking into police discipline disagrees. They want Chief Larry O'Dea to force consequences.
Some ugly violence in the city's homeless community is inspiring more angst about Mayor Charlie Hales' decision to allow people to camp overnight in some areas. The principle example: A camper was shot early yesterday, apparently by another homeless person, and might die. It occurred near St. Francis of Assissi Catholic Church in Buckman. And it's a shocking incident, but let's also remember that people are shooting each other at epidemic levels in Northeast and East Portland, and that those incidents rarely attract so much concern.
Barely related: The head of Base Camp Brewery called 911 seven times in 10 minutes to complain about homelessness, then showed up to the door carrying a loaded assault rifle, safety off, when the cops arrived. He didn't die.
The Portland State University Board of Trustees hustled off to a secret location when activists stormed their meeting yesterday. From a bunker across campus, with their audio being piped to the wide world via the Internet, they passed tuition increases even the school's president says make him uncomfortable. Looks great, PSU Board of Trustees.
Now New York's doing it. By 2018, minimum wage workers in NYC will earn $15 an hour. Similar to legislation Oregon passed earlier this year, areas around the city will rise at a slower clip. That makes two states this week that are pushing $15. We Portlanders are looking at $14.75 by 2022.
Related: Seattle's been slowly marching to a $15 minimum wage for a year, and it's not as dire as everyone was screaming about.
Someone knows what that weird shrieking sound in Forest Grove was. And presumably they'll take that secret to their grave. It's disappeared for now.
Remember: Simply adopting Vision Zero does nothing to stop people get killed on your city's streets. You've got to actually make them safer. In Portland, road deaths are occurring at double the clip of last year, three months in, despite Portland officials saying they embrace a policy of eliminating road deaths.
In nearly 20 percent of fatal police shootings, police departments don't release the names of the officers involved, according to the Washington Post. Oregon almost passed a bill this year that would have allowed some cops names to be shielded, but it died.
The Oregon Fuels Association, getting ready to tangle with local business groups and transportation activists on a Portland gas tax, has killed a statewide ballot effort aimed at reversing Oregon's clean fuels law.
Wisconsin votes on Tuesday, and Republicans there have the ability to make things very easy for Donald Trump to earn the nomination, or a lot more difficult. Either way, the other option is likely Ted Cruz, so it's a real Sophie's choice of terrible leadership.
Your weekend will be sunny, and it's still novel enough that every restaurant and bar with a square inch of decent patio will be packed. My advice: Drink in the cellar.
